In Sports from United Press International

ANAHEIM, Calif., Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Troy Glaus broke open a tense pitcher's duel with a home run to lead off the eighth inning Friday night, boosting the Anaheim Angels past the Minnesota Twins, 2-1, and into the lead in the American League Championship Series.

Anaheim took a two games to one advantage in the best-of-seven series and the Angels will try to take another step toward their first World Series appearance when they host Game 4 Saturday night.

Starter Jarrod Washburn protected a 1-0 Anaheim lead until the seventh inning, when Jacques Jones drove in the tying run with a two-out double.

Anaheim threatened to immediately regain the lead in its half of the seventh, only to be turned away when Minnesota Manager Ron Gardenhire used four pitchers in the inning to escape a bases-loaded jam.

Glaus, however, wasted no time in the eighth putting Anaheim in front.

After working the count to 3-1 against J.C. Romero, Glaus launched a shot to right-center that reached the first row of the seats for the Angels' 11th home run of the playoffs.

The Angels' first run also came on a leadoff homer, produced by Anderson in the second inning off Eric Milton.

Milton allowed one run on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts over six innings.

Minnesota tied it in the seventh against Washburn with Dustan Mohr opening the inning with a single. Pierzynski and Luis Rivas both flew out with Mohr unable to advance.

Jones, however, drove the ball to deep right for a double that gave the Twins their only extra base hit of the night as well as the tying run. But Jones was the last Minnesota batter to reach base.

Showalter takes over Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Buck Showalter, one of the top candidates in this month's managerial sweepstakes, found a home Friday with the Texas Rangers.

Rangers owner Tom Hicks said Showalter was the Rangers' first choice and it was apparent that he and general manager John Hart made an immediate push for Showalter rather than wait for other competitors, such as the Chicago Cubs or New York Mets, to make their bids.

It was believed that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Milwaukee Brewers also expressed interest in Showalter.

Showalter took both the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks to the playoffs but has never won a postseason series. Both clubs won the World Series the year after his departure.

The 46-year-old has a 563-504 record in six seasons as a major league manager. He had been an analyst for ESPN since he was fired by the Diamondbacks after the 2000 season.

Showalter replaces Jerry Narron, who did not survive a second straight last-place finish. Narron was fired two days after the Rangers completed a 72-90 campaign.

Texas-Oklahoma highlight college schedule

DALLAS, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Unbeaten, just barely, archrivals Texas and Oklahoma square off in Saturday in the biggest college football clash to date this season.

The so-called "Red River Shootout" brings together teams that are both 5-0. No. 2 Texas faces its first high-profile opponent of the season and senior quarterback Chris Simms gets another chance to silence his critics, who have harped on this inability to play well against tough competition.

Simms threw four interceptions in last season's 14-3 loss to the Sooners. The southpaw has 11 interceptions and no touchdown passes in three games against top-10 teams, but that does not bother Texas Coach Mack Brown.

"There is a different standard for him than for other quarterbacks in the country," Brown said. "It only seems to become a big game if you lose."

Since taking over at Texas in 1998, Brown is just 3-7 against teams in the top 10.

Third-ranked Oklahoma also struggled last week and needed a touchdown pass off a fake field goal to turn back Missouri, 31-24.

Also Saturday, top-ranked Miami (5-0) puts its 27-game winning streak on the line when it welcomes No. 11 Florida State (5-1) to the Orange Bowl; sixth-ranked Georgia (5-0) tries to stake its claim as a national championship contender when it hosts ninth-ranked Tennessee (4-1); and seventh-ranked Oregon (5-0) seeks its school-record 11th straight win when it visits No. 25 UCLA (4-1).

It is a pivotal weekend for Florida State, which is still stinging from its upset loss at Louisville two weeks ago. The Seminoles also are coming off a sluggish performance last week against Clemson.

"From what I see, it's Miami and the rest of the world," said Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden. "We're not at that level yet."

Miami has done little to refute Bowden's assessment, coasting to a 48-14 win over Connecticut last week. In their biggest contest to date, on Sept. 7, the Hurricanes humbled Florida, 41-16, in Gainesville.

Turco, Buerin lead Stars

DALLAS, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Marty Turco turned away 24 shots and Bill Guerin scored twice Friday night to lead the Dallas Stars to a 4-2 victory over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in their home opener.

Handed the job when Dallas elected not to re-sign veteran Ed Belfour, Turco made 40 saves in the Stars' season-opening, 1-1 tie with the Colorado Avalanche.

He turned in another solid performance against Anaheim, stopping 15 shots over the first two periods before having his shutout bid come to an end 1:52 into the third.

Signed as a free agent after consecutive 40-goal seasons, Guerin gave Dallas a 2-0 lead 14:05 into the second period with his first goal of the season before adding an empty-netter with 90 seconds left in the third.

Defenseman Sergei Zubov and Mike Modano also scored for Dallas, which dropped both home meetings against the Mighty Ducks last season.

The qualifying session had begun Thursday night before the rains moved in. Eighteen cars had turned in a qualifying run before the session was postponed. When the drivers returned to the track Friday, so did the rains, so the starting lineup will be based on the current Winston Cup car owner points.

Once NASCAR officials gave up on qualifying for the Winston Cup race, the rains finally subsided and Michael Waltrip captured the pole for Saturday's Little Trees 300 Busch event.

Waltrip, a Winston Cup regular, led three other drivers from the circuit when he won the pole with a lap of 180.343 miles per hour in a Chevrolet. It was the 13th Busch pole of his career and his second straight.

Waltrip's lap broke Jeff Burton's event record of 179.485 mph set last year in a Ford.

Burton, who two weeks ago won the Mr. Goodcents 300, was second Friday at 180.337 mph in a Ford. Jimmy Spencer was third, followed by Joe Nemechek and Busch regular Scott Riggs.

Hingis takes leave of absence

ZURICH, Switzerland, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Hoping to "free her mind," former world No. 1 Martina Hingis said Friday she will take an indefinite break from tennis.

Hingis won two titles early in the season and reached her sixth straight Australian Open final, but underwent surgery to repair ligaments in her left ankle in late May.

She returned in mid-August at the Canadian Open, where she reached the quarterfinals, and added another quarterfinal showing at New Haven before losing in the fourth round at the U.S. Open.

Hingis made the announcement at a news conference which she originally called to say she was withdrawing from the upcoming Swisscom Challenge.

Hingis has five career majors, including three in a dominating 1997 season when she came within a loss to Iva Majoli in the championship match of the French Open of a Grand Slam.

However, the "Swiss Miss" has not won a Grand Slam title since the 1999 Australian Open. A slightly built player who used tennis savy to claim 40 career singles crowns, she has increasingly found it difficult to now win against the big power players who rule the WTA Tour.

Furyk takes lead in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Three-time champion Jim Furyk showed no signs of slowing down in the desert Friday, taking sole possession of the lead after the third round of the 90-hole Invensys Classic with a bogey-free 8-under-par 64.

Furyk has gone a stroke lower in each of the first three rounds, reaching 20-under 195 by playing without a bogey on the three-course rotation. He had eight birdies at TPC-Summerlin Friday and matched his best round of the season.

A member of the United States Ryder Cup team, Furyk is the only multiple winner in the 20-year history of this event, claiming it in 1995, 1998 and 1999. He has seven career titles.

Jeff Sluman carded an 8-under 64 at Southern Highlands Golf Club and was alone in second at 19-under 196 as he seeks his second title in three months and the seventh of his career.

Second-round co-leader Charles Howell III and Stuart Appleby of Australia were tied for third at 17-under 198. Appleby had a 64 at Southern Highlands to make the leap from 16th to third.

Of the 141 players in the field, only 14 failed to shoot par or better Friday.

Koch increases lead

SEMMES, Ala., Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Carin Koch of Sweden extended her lead Friday at the LPGA Tournament of Champions, carding a 5-under-par 67 for a four-stroke cushion over Cristie Kerr.

After opening the event with a career-low and course-record 10-under 62, Koch had seven birdies and two bogeys at Magnolia Grove to increase her lead by a shot. Her 36-hole total of 15-under 129 was just a stroke off the tournament record.

Koch is seeking her second title of the season and second of her eight-year LPGA Tour career. She has humbled a world-class field in Mobile, three weeks after starring for Europe at the Solheim Cup.

Cristie Kerr, a member of the winning United States team, came within a stroke of Koch's course record, sinking five straight birdies in the middle of a bogey-free round. She was alone in second at 11-under 133.

Pak is second on the tour this season with three wins, trailing only Annika Sorenstam, the Swedish superstar who is trying to become just the fourth player in tour history to record 10 titles in a season.

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